A Remarry Tale
by AbstractConcept
Summary: Harry sets off to find his fortune and his one true love, in the classic fairy tale style. Slash, RLHP.


**TITLE**: A Remarry Tale  
**AUTHOR: **AbstractConcept  
**RATING**: PG-13  
**DISCLAIMER**: Belongs to J.K. Rowling, etc.  
**BETA**: The Lithe ladyeonen, and all further mistakes are mine.  
**NOTES**: This story is almost completely cobbled together from fairy tales from Reader's Digest "World's Best Fairy Tales," copyright 1967. My main goal was to keep the narrative style of a fairy tale as much as possible, and use only original plot. This is based chiefly on "Twelve Dancing Princesses," but you ought to be able to pick out lines from "Snow White," "Little One Eyes, Little Two Eyes, and Little Three Eyes," "The Six Swans," "Billy Beg and his Bull" and many others. Hopefully, the 'voice' of the story will be hauntingly familiar, while the storyline itself remains unique. **Written for the Mortal Moon Fest Fifth Wave, Quotes Challenge.  
****WARNINGS: **This is one of my least favorite fics ever. You have been warned. Not like my other stuff—very little humor, no sex—all atmosphere. I simply hadn't posted it here, and I hate not having a place where I can keep all my writing together.  
**SUMMARY**: Harry sets off to find his fortune and his one true love, in the classic fairy tale style.

**A Remarry Tale**

Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. - Benjamin Disraeli

There was once a beautiful Queen who longed to have a child. One day, in the middle of winter, as she sat by a window and sewed, she pricked her finger, and three drops of blood fell onto the snow outside. Because of this, she knew that soon she would have a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony—and she also knew that her own blood would be spilt to save this child, when it was barely a year old.

And so it was, for soon after, a son was born to her, with skin as white as snow, lips and cheeks as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony. The Queen, though, was still full of grief, for she knew that if her portent continued to come true, then she would die shortly, and never see her child in this world again.

So she and her husband hid themselves away deep in the forest, hoping to live peacefully with their young son. Alas, it did no good, and before the year had ended, a horrible Sorcerer had come to Godric's Hollow, and both the King and Queen died protecting their child. Their son, Harry, would have died as well, but because his mother loved him enough to die for him, the Sorcerer could not kill the child, and was instead banished from this world for many years.

After the death of his parents, Harry went to live with his aunt and her family. His aunt had been desperately envious of the beauty and power of her sister, and treated her nephew with great scorn. Harry, as he grew, became a lovely and sweet-natured child, who carried on all the best traits of his parents. Unfortunately, this very same sweet nature was the cause of much of his grief, for his aunt could not bear the good qualities of her pretty nephew because they made her own son appear all the more odious.

His aunt employed Harry in the meanest work: scouring the dishes and tables, cooking and weeding, and he was certain to receive a terrible beating if ever he dared to complain. At night, he was locked away in a dark little cupboard, and during the day his cousin pushed him here, and chased him there, and poor Harry was only given to eat what little the family had left. They were about as unkind to him as ever they could be.

One morning around the middle of August, Harry was weeding in the garden when he fell asleep under the old oak tree. And while he slept, he dreamt of a handsome man with golden eyes who stood before him and said, 'Go to the castle of Hogwarts, and there I shall be waiting.'

That evening, little Harry told his family of his dream, but as was their way, they only reprimanded him for telling such silly tales.

The next day at the same hour, he went to sleep again under the same tree. The attractive man appeared a second time and said, 'Go to the castle of Hogwarts, and there I shall be waiting.'

In the evening Harry told his family that he had dreamed the same dream again, but they only scolded him more than before, and sent him to his cupboard without even a crumb for supper.

"Never mind," he said to himself. "If the man appears to me a third time, I will do as he tells me." Later, when his cousin was trying to hit him, Harry suddenly found himself flying through the air, and landed atop the chimney. "Well," he said to himself, "I'm destined to be something better than a slave to my relations, that is quite clear." And that night, again the handsome man came to him, and bade him travel to Hogwarts, and spun him tales of many marvellous things there.

The following day, to the astonishment of his family, Harry packed his few belongings and made ready to leave their home. Harry's aunt and uncle berated him furiously, and threatened to lock him away, but he would not be moved. "I am going away," he told them quietly. Harry bade goodbye to his family and boldly set out to seek his fortune.

Harry travelled for three days and nights before he ran out of food and drink. Then he readied himself to sleep, certain that he would never awake again, for he would surely starve to death. He cried only a little, for he was used to hardship, but before he could even shut his eyes, there came a great clamour and the earth began to shake.

Harry sat up and looked around him, but could see nothing as it was very dark, and even the stars seemed to have gone out. He thought, 'Well, if it gets no worse than this, I can stand it.'

"Hello, child," a kind voice said, and Harry looked up to see a wise man standing over him, his beard long and silver. "I have heard that you wish to go to the castle of Hogwarts."

"I do," said Harry, "But I have no food left, and I cannot find a road that will lead me there."

"Ah, yes," said the old man. "Few can find the road that leads to the castle, and fewer still reach the castle alive, for a horrible creature lives there on the road, and has eyes in the back of his head, and will eat any person that he can see. But I will show you the way to Hogwarts, and I will show you a way to get past the beast." Pointing a knobbly old finger, the man continued, "You must ride north as far as you can, and north farther still, and always follow the silver tracks in the road. I will give you a horse to ride, and he is swift and sure of foot, but still you will be a long time reaching the castle, if ever you get there at all."

At this, he swung a stick around his head three times, and a wondrous horse appeared. He was the finest, fattest, proudest red roan horse Harry had ever seen, and he snorted and stomped his foot.

"Oh, thank you, sir," Harry said in a hushed voice. "What is his name?"

"He is called Express," the wise man told him. "And now I shall give you another gift, to help you pass the monster and any troubles you might encounter." Here he held out his hands before him, and there, where there was at first nothing at all, suddenly a silken cloak hung. "All you need do is cover yourself with this cloak, and no one shall be able to see you, not even if he was but a breath away."

Harry was mightily pleased with the gifts, and thanked the man earnestly. Finally, the man sat and broke bread with Harry, and they ate and told stories for much of the night. When Harry was so full that he became drowsy, he rested his head on his fine new cloak, and fell asleep.

Harry dreamt of walking in a dark forest, and he knew that everywhere around him there was danger, but Harry was not frightened. A monstrous wolf bounded out of the woods on his right hand side, and a massive black dog came out of the woods on his left hand side, and there they walked, keeping pace with the boy.

At length, the wolf spoke. "Surely you are scared," it said to Harry, "because of our ferocious mien and great size?"

"A pretty lad such as yourself would make a sweet morsel for us," the dog added.

"No," Harry told them, "I am not a bit afraid." And this was true, for he did not know what wicked things played in the forest, and he felt strangely calm with the enormous creatures by his side. "I know you will not harm me," he said.

The wolf looked at him with big yellow eyes. "No harm will come to you here," he told Harry. "For we will guard you until you reach your destination, where love is waiting." So saying, he sprung back into the woods, the black dog following at his heels.

"Wait! Wolf!" Harry cried, wanting to know more about what awaited him, and what the wolf knew of the handsome man in his dreams. "Wolf! Wolf!"

But then it was morning, and Harry blinked his eyes. He knew he would not find the wolf here, and the wise man had vanished as though he had never been at all, and so Harry began his journey.

He travelled for many days before he ran low of the food the wise man had left with him, and now Harry was faced with a bitter choice. Surely he could not go on, all the way through the dark forest, without anything to eat, and yet the only things he had of value were his horse and his cloak. He felt he must trade one of them for food, but it was a wretched choice to make. If he should give up his horse, surely he could not make it to the castle so very far away, but if he should give up his cloak, he certainly could not make it past the monster!

Because he was so unhappy with his predicament, Harry sat down on the cold ground and wept bitter tears.

Shortly a giant came along, and spied the boy and his horse. "Little dark haired one, why are you crying?" the giant asked him.

"I am sad because I must pass through the forest, but I have very little food and drink," Harry answered. "So I shall have to sell my dear horse, or my wonderful cloak, and oh! What a miserable choice!"

"Never mind that," said the giant, who had a kind heart. "Deep within the forest there is a ruby that is worth more than your horse and your cloak put together. You must only retrieve that, and then you can sell it and have enough to eat for all of your journeys!"

"That is excellent news!" cried Harry, stopping his tears at once and leaping to his feet. "I shall make haste to find it."

"Wait!" the giant told him. "There is one warning you must heed; the ruby is in the hands of a monster. He looks like a man, but has eyes in the back of his head, and he will kill you if he can!"

"That is a grim thing," Harry agreed. "I will have to be very cunning, then, to get the ruby away from such a man."

Then he thanked the giant kindly, and went on his way.

For a long way into the forest it was very quiet. Harry felt nervous to meet the monster, so he pulled out his fine magic cloak and draped it over himself and his horse. So prepared, he followed the path until he saw a man with a turban wrapped around his head.

Harry did not see any monster, and the man did not look very fearsome, but still Harry kept his cloak on, and did not say a word.

"Who is it that walks the silver path this night?" the man asked, and Harry's heart almost leapt out of his chest, so startled and afraid was he, but still he said nothing. "I hear the clop-clop of a horse, and surely there is a rider on his back, but I can see nothing at all," the man muttered. "Can it be someone is trying to trick me?"

And then another voice spoke, a high, cold, cruel voice, and said, "Your eyes are not as good as mine. Let me see what may be seen, and I will spy the culprit!"

And the man unwound the turban from his head and turned around, and Harry had to hold a hand over his mouth to keep from crying out in fright and wonder, for there was another face on the back of the man's head, and it had red eyes that seemed to see right through him.

He knew, then, that this was the monster, and he paused, thinking the situation over. He desperately wanted the ruby to trade for food, but how could he get it away from the creature?

"You are a fool," the red-eyed fiend exclaimed. "I see nothing at all, and I hear no noise. There is no clop-clop of a horse, only the branches on the trees clacking together in the wind."

The man turned back around again, and Harry slowly urged his horse forward.

"I hear the clop-clop of a horse," the man said, looking around. "There is someone here! Someone is trying to get past us!"

"Let me look! Let me hear!" screamed the other voice, and the man obediently turned his back once more. Harry held very still, until the fiend announced that it was nothing but a woodpecker in the trees, and turned back around.

Harry led his horse closer to the man, who once again announced that he heard a horse, but this time, the fiend would not look. "It is merely the squirrels throwing the nuts from their trees," he said. "Now be silent and let me rest."

When Harry was close enough, he leapt off the horse and grabbed the man by his thin wrist, and thrust his hand into his pocket. There was the ruby, and he pulled it out in a trice, admiring its sheen and transparency.

"He's here! He's here!" the man screamed.

"Hold tight to him!" the fiend replied.

"I cannot! It burns," the man lamented. Harry held on very tightly, and soon the man's flesh began smoking and scorching, and Harry did not let go until he had turned all to ash.

When he left the forest, Harry readied himself to sleep when he heard a great clamour, far greater than the night he ran out of food and drink, and a great earthquake that shook everything for many miles around. He thought, 'Well, if it gets no worse than this, I can stand it.'

Suddenly, there stood the giant before him, and he was smiling widely at Harry. "Well met, young sir," the giant told him. "And all good people everywhere are most grateful to you for killing that man and the Sorcerer who resided in his body, for he was very evil, and it is good to be done with him. Still, the Sorcerer did not die, but managed to escape, and it was he who killed your parents, and you must look out for him, for he will certainly want revenge for that little trick."

"I will look out for him," Harry promised, and got directions to the nearest place that he could trade the stone for as much food as the peasants could give him.

"And here is something I have for you," said the giant. "For soon you will reach the castle, but you will not achieve anything at all if that old Sorcerer can help it, for he intends to kill you as soon as he can! But I've got a treat for him! Here is the hat that belongs in Hogwarts, and if that old Sorcerer should try anything, you just put that on and see what happens, and I'm sure it will be of some help."

Harry thanked him humbly for the hat and all his good advice, and went on his way. That night, he had another dream.

Harry was walking deep in a stone passage, and all around were echoes and shadows, and he knew danger lurked around every corner, but he was not afraid. A gigantic wolf came out of the tunnel ahead of him, and the black dog guarded the tunnel behind.

"Are you unafraid of us still?" asked the wolf. "Do we not seem terrible and alarming?"

"No," said Harry.

The wolf was pleased with this answer, and asked him, "Then will you marry me?"

Harry became quite pale and shook his head. "I cannot marry you!" he cried.

The wolf was very sorrowful at this, and apologized abjectly. "If I have been too bold, it is only because you are so beautiful," he said.

But Harry merely smiled and did not say anything, for though he was secretly pleased that the wolf thought so much of him, he did not love the wolf. What he wanted, more than anything, was to find the handsome man that had been in his dreams before.

"Wolf," he said eventually, "Have you never seen a man here? I have met one in my dreams, a man who was tall and slender, with nut-brown hair and golden eyes. He once called me to come to him, yet he has not come to me in a very long time."

The wolf regarded him sadly. "I am afraid that you shall not see him ever again," he said, but when Harry pressed, he would not explain. Instead, as they walked, they talked of other things.

Finally, when the sun was rising in the real world and it was time for Harry to awake, the wolf bid him goodbye, saying, "No harm will come to you here, for we will guard you until you reach your destination, where love is waiting." Then, he and the black dog ran down a tunnel and disappeared.

Harry rode on for three days and three nights, until at last he came to a vast dark lake. Settled above it on a tall cliff was an immense castle, covered with spires and towers and turrets, and Harry knew he had reached Hogwarts at last.

After he dismounted, he went to the castle gate, where sat a cat which stared at him, looking for all the world like it could speak if it so wanted. "Hello, puss," he said, for Harry was very fond of animals. "I'd give you some of my cheese, but I don't think you'd like it very much." The cat gave a derisive sniff and turned its head.

Harry walked towards the castle gate, but found it barred, and no amount of pushing or struggling would open it. "What am I to do now?" he wondered aloud. "Surely there must be a way to enter the castle, that I might finally know love and be at peace."

"You must know where you belong in the castle, first," said a voice behind Harry, and he turned in amazement.

Where once sat an irascible cat now stood a woman, severe but noble. "But good woman, what do you mean?" he asked once he had recovered from his surprise.

"Those who would enter the castle of Hogwarts must first be sorted, and accepted into one of four groups. Those who built this bastion of magic deemed it would be so, and thus it was," she answered.

Harry frowned. "How can I accomplish this?"

"You must use the sorting hat," she told him. "It will tell you all you need to know."

Harry remembered the tattered hat he'd been given by the giant, and scrambled to pull it out. When he set it tentatively on his head, it slipped down, covering his eyes.

"What is it you want?" a voice asked.

Harry frowned. _To know where I belong, _he thought.

"But what is it you _really _want?" the voice responded.

Harry pictured the man in his dreams, the way his mouth moved as he spoke to Harry, and had a violent longing to kiss those lips. _I want the man with the golden eyes, _he admitted.

"What do you want of him? Do you wish him to show you the secrets of seduction, power, subtlety? Do you admire his knowledge, and wish to speak with him of the world and everything in it? Do you want to serve him, to show him what loyalty is? Or do you want to gift him with your passion, your protection?"

Harry could see visions exploding in his mind behind his eyelids. He saw the man of his dreams, his golden eyes now flecked with green, spread across a green silk bed, an offering of lust and submission. Then he saw the man seated at a table draped in blue cloth, pouring over books, his eyes keen and sharp behind reading spectacles. He saw the man now standing beside him, smiling slightly and explaining what he needed, saw them working together in a cheerful, yellow room. And finally he saw not the man, but the wolf, caged and frightened, and saw himself, too, cloaked in red, kneeling before the cage, working to free the wolf.

Harry gave a great start at that, frightened, and cried out, "Wolf! Wolf!"

"You have bravery and compassion," the voice told him. "I will clothe you in red, and in such a way shall you enter Hogwarts."

The darkness fell away from his eyes, and Harry looked down to find he had been dressed in the finest clothing he had ever seen, decked in rich scarlet brocade, wrapped in thick, velvet-trimmed robes. "You may pass," a woman's voice informed him, and Harry glanced over to see her smiling, and holding out the hat.

The gate swung back, and Harry strode boldly forward to enter the towering castle.

Oh! How merrily the next days passed for Harry; he had found his way to Hogwarts, the mythical castle, and discovered many friends and interests there. He walked its hallowed halls among the elite, and discovered that it was more than a castle, but a school to teach magic to those worthy of learning it.

There were many diversions here, charms to astound and delight, potions to cure and sicken, amazing transfigurations to be learned and wonders of all sorts to be seen, but still Harry had not found the man in his dreams. Every day he peered at the faces around him, and asked all he met whether they had not seen a man with golden eyes, but always they told him no.

Though Harry had made many good friends, had much laughter, ate from a golden plate, and slept in a plush, overstuffed bed, he began to feel unhappy. He had every material wealth that could be offered, but still his heart was not yet full. Where, in all this abundance, was love?

All the worse were his dreams at night, for Harry had hardly to touch head to pillow before he was back in an underground chamber, with neither wolf to guide him, nor golden-eyed man to call to him. All night long, Harry wandered secret passageways, looking for his lost friend and his true love.

One night Harry decided he could sleep this way no more, and got out his fantastic cloak, and hid himself in it, and crept through the dark halls of the castle. He explored all of the places he was not allowed to enter during the daylight, and found many strange and fascinating things, but none made his heart glad. Finally, in an empty room, he came across a tall looking glass, and was moved to stand in front of it and see himself.

Upon looking within, however, Harry got a shock, for he was not alone in the looking glass! Standing beside him, hand in hand, was the man with the golden eyes, smiling down at Harry's reflection with tender affection. Harry looked about the room, but it was as empty as it could be, and the sight in the glass might as well be no more than a dream.

Still, Harry could not leave, for here was his happiness, even if he could never actually possess it. He thought it might be as close as he would ever get, and should be grateful for a glimpse of his own heart's desire. He stayed frozen in front of the scene for many hours, torn between joy at seeing the one he loved, and pain that he could not touch him. Oh, how cruel was fate, and how miserable was he, for surely no man had ever envied his own reflection so bitterly!

Harry began visiting the looking glass each night, although he could not seem to find a way through, or past, or to get the attention of the two lovers frozen within. He could not seem to leave it be, and returned night after night, hour after hour, to waste away before it.

One evening, as he settled himself before the looking glass, ready to fall into his hopeless ruminations once again, a quiet voice spoke out behind him.

"Why do you return here, knowing there is nothing to be gained?"

Harry turned in surprise to find the old man who had given him his horse and cloak. "I see my love and happiness within, and think it better to stay here before it, than to never know it at all," the dark-haired boy explained.

The old man shook his head sadly. "Happiness is always within your reach, but to have it, you must reach for it," he said. "I must caution you against sinking into fantasies, rather than making your dreams come true."

Harry hung his head, feeling very sorry, and promised he would not visit the mirror again. He thanked the old man for his sage words, and promised to try to make happiness, instead of expecting to find it waiting for him.

That night, Harry dreamt of the wolf again. Harry fell to his knees and hugged the downy back to him, and asked him where it had been for so long.

At first, the wolf would not answer, but leapt playfully, nipping at Harry, and leading him on a merry chase. They ran and wrestled and tumbled, and though the forceful jaws could have bitten Harry in two, they treated him as gently as if he were a kitten.

Finally, the wolf lay spent, its tongue lolling happily.

"I must ask again, Wolf; where have you been? Many nights I wandered searching for you, and always awoke without seeing you. It was very lonely, and I missed your company."

The wolf got to its feet and padded over to him again. "If you truly missed me, then would you marry me?"

Harry shook his head, a little fearful that the beast would be angry at being refused again. "I'm sorry, Wolf, but I cannot. I love only the man with the golden eyes. Do you know where I can find him?"

The wolf lowered his great, shaggy head mournfully. "He is trapped against his will by a great Sorcerer, deep in the earth, and held under a potent enchantment by a formidable wizard, and I fear that you will never see him again."

"Let there be a hundred powerful sorcerers and wizards keeping him, for even then I will come and set him free!" Harry said courageously. "If you can, please tell him that I will come for him, and that by the strength of my love will I set him free."

The next day, Harry neglected his studies, instead searching the castle for a way underground. His instructors pleaded with him to return to his lessons, but their words fell on deaf ears. His friends begged him to give up this folly. "We have heard of secret chambers, but they are filled with hideous monsters, and it is senseless to look for such things." They urged him to stay with them, and be happy and safe.

Harry could only shake his head and reply, "Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. I must find the entrance, and I must save the one I love."

Finally, one of his friends saw how truly unhappy he was, and led him to a secret passage. Even as she brought him to the entrance, she wept and begged him not to go, for surely he would be killed. "It is here that you will find the secret chamber, but you dare not enter it, for it belongs to a powerful Sorcerer, and he is feared by all who know of him!"

"So long as I have my wits about me and the strength of my heart, nothing can harm me," he assured her.

"Your wits and your heart are no match for the basilisk that waits for you within these passages," the girl protested. "For it has only to look at you to kill, and strikes with frightening speed! If you must go, do not look it in the eye, for that is how it kills," she told him.

"I will remember," Harry told her, and set off in search of the snake and the man with the golden eyes.

Harry wound his way through the passage, which twisted and turned, leading him ever deeper below the castle. His feet slapped through puddles of standing water, and his footsteps echoed off the stone walls. The tunnel seemed alive with noise, the drip of water, Harry's amplified breaths, and susurrations that had no known origin.

As Harry descended, he saw a dark shape glide past the end of the tunnel. It was so large it blocked out any view of what was beyond, but before Harry had gotten more than a glimpse, it was gone. Swallowing hard, Harry edged forward, keeping watchful for the basilisk.

When Harry reached the end of the tunnel, he found himself in a long passage, dark but for flickering torches adorning the walls. Towering statues of snakes stood open-mouthed, lining the hall in a terrifying tableau.

At the front of the hall stood a handsome young gentleman with dark, wavy hair and keen eyes. "So you are the one who has come to defeat me," he said upon seeing Harry.

"If you are the Sorcerer who has captured the one I love, then I shall defeat you," Harry promised him.

"You may say so, but you will find it more difficult than that!" the Sorcerer told him with a laugh. "My magic is strong, and my spells are great. I can borrow the bodies of other men, and I can make shape from a memory, and I can control bird and beast." Here, he whistled, and there was a great rumbling.

The giant snake came slithering out of one of the tunnels, ready to perform the Sorcerer's whim and make a meal of poor Harry.

Harry ran to one end of the room, the snake close on his heels. The snake was too fast, and he was too small to outrun it. Heedful of his friend's warning, Harry was careful not to look the basilisk in the eye, and was forced to run blindly to and fro across the chamber. He dodged as it struck, and slipped around it, but knew that he would not last very long.

The Sorcerer laughed ever harder to see such sport. "You are not even a mouthful for my beautiful snake," he told Harry. "Perhaps I should keep you until I can feed you to the wolf you find so friendly? You should flee, and interfere with my plans no more, and perhaps I would let you live."

Harry knew he could not run away, for he was determined to free his love, even if it cost him his life. Harry dug his hand into his pocket as he ran, looking for something to help him defeat the Sorcerer or defend himself against the snake. All he could find was a rumpled up piece of cloth—the hat the giant had given him.

_Well, if I can do no better, I suppose I can do no worse, _he thought, and put it on his head. There was a great flash as something hit his head, and he took the hat off to draw out a shining sword. _Now we'll see what might be done! _He thought triumphantly, raising the sword aloft.

Now he was closer to evenly matched against the basilisk, and fought valiantly. He dashed and slashed, and the snake darted and struck out at him. When the huge mouth opened to swallow him whole, he lunged forward, stabbing the snake through the roof of its mouth.

When it had perished, Harry turned his attention to the evil Sorcerer. "If you would spare me, I could give you anything," the man begged. "Power, gold, costly jewels! Think of what we might accomplish together, if you would but set aside your sword."

"All you have achieved you've done for yourself," Harry told him. "There is no love in you, and that is all I seek." The Sorcerer screamed in fury, and Harry ran him through with the sword, but he simply vanished, for he was made of shade and shadow, with no flesh to him at all.

When Harry had dispatched his foes, he went looking for his friend the wolf, and found him, and the black dog, as well in a pitiable state. He opened the lock with the magic he'd learnt, and out leapt they leapt They thanked Harry, but told him they would need to leave, and could not stop to rest with him.

Harry pleaded with the wolf to help him search for the man, and told him how happy he was to have found the friend who'd guarded him so well throughout his dreams. The wolf sorrowfully wagged its tail, but disappeared down a passage and was gone, with the black dog on his heels.

No matter how Harry looked, he could not find the man with the golden eyes anywhere in that labyrinth, and finally had to admit defeat. He sadly traversed the passages once more, to find his friends and teachers awaiting his return.

"What happened?" they all asked him. "What did you find underground? Was there a monster? What did you see?"

"Nothing worse than myself," was all he would answer them, and went away to his room to sleep and recover.

That night, Harry dreamt once more of the wolf. "Why did you abandon me?" he asked. "Why would you not stay by my side, and be my friend?"

"I would gladly do that, if you would give your heart to me and marry me," the wolf replied.

"Well, it seems I will never find the man with the golden eyes, and I have come to love you very much, even though I could never embrace you the way most lovers do. If it will keep you with me always, I will marry you."

The wolf instantly shed his fur in a burst of light, and there stood the man with the golden eyes. Harry rushed to his arms, but the man held out his hand in warning. "I am not sure, even now, that you could really love me," the man confessed. "For though the Sorcerer, with his tongue of beasts, imprisoned me, I shall still become a wolf once a moon, even without his spells. For this is what I am, and always partially a beast. It is no spell that holds me this way, and the only other enchantment I suffer is the powerful love I feel for you, so strong and poignant I must surely die of it."

At this, Harry rebuked him gently. "You would have done better to tell me the truth, and I could have aided you much sooner. Still, I will accept you as you are, because love cannot be confined by mere form. Please, let me come to you."

At this, the wolf relented. "Come to the highest tower, and I will be waiting for you."

Harry awoke in an instant, and was on his feet a moment after. He threw on his old clothes, slipped on his shoes, and flew out the door, his heart fluttering with elation. Gone were all thoughts of hat and sword, of the horse that had carried him to the castle and the ruby that bought his way, of the cloak that made him invisible, and the Sorcerer who'd tried to stop him. All Harry could think of was his golden-eyed love, and he raced up the flights of stairs to join him.

Finally, at the top of the castle, he found a wooden door, and there he knocked. Harry realized with dismay that he had put on his old rags; would his lover laugh at his dress? Turn him away? He waited in trepidation, shaking from his feet to his untidy hair.

"Here I am," he said, and scarcely had he uttered the words when the door creaked open and there stood the man with the golden eyes, his smile warm. He, too, was dressed in rags, and Harry grinned with relief. He took the man by the hands. "I loved you from the first moment I saw you, and want only your happiness," he said. "Please, tell me your name, and tell me how I might win your heart forever."

"My name is Remus Lupin, and I have been shunned and hated all my life for what I am. I suffer from hunger and thirst, neglect and sorrow, and if you would take me with you and free me from this sorrowful life, I would be happy. To be with you, and to look upon you each day would be more than I could dream, so taken have I been with your beauty and bravery."

At this, Harry stepped forward and kissed him, exulting in the warmth and strength of his lover's arms. "I shall give you all that I have, however much or little it ever is," Harry promised, and they made their way back down the castle stairs.

But when they came to the Great Hall, they found all of Hogwarts in a state of celebration, for long had the occupants lived in fear of the great snake. All were pleased with Harry's great deed, and showered him with gifts. Harry announced his intention to marry his love, and so the rejoicing grew even greater, and they planned a wedding in addition to their festivities.

In the midst of the merrymaking, Remus introduced Harry to a man with grey eyes, who smiled and said, "But you don't remember me?"

Harry shook his head, confused, and was astounded to see the man bound forward and change into a dog, then prance about in a circle around Harry before turning into a man once more. "This is your godfather, Sirius Black," Remus explained. "He is my good friend, and has helped me many years, and you saved his life with mine when you freed us from the wicked Sorcerer."

The headmaster came to congratulate Harry, and Harry was shocked to find it was the same old man who had guided him so long. Harry thanked him humbly, and asked if he had any further advice.

The man's eyes twinkled fondly at him. "I only bid you to rejoice this night,Harry, and drink, and live happily ever after!"


End file.
